If you were one of the few remaining subscribers to Google Friends, today is a sad, sad day for you. Google Friends, the 13-year old newsletter is retiring. Because of lack of numbers and all of the many other places to get your Google news (Twitter, the Google Blog), it was time to hang its hat.
The newsletter was created by CEO Larry Page in 1998 and the first issue said, “Welcome to the google-friends mailing list. We wanted to let you know about some new Google features we have been working on before we announce them on the main web page.” The news was items like finding backlinks of a web page and when the next crawl would be.
Oh how fun it was to read the archives.
Here’s a snippet from the very last Google Friends newsletter:
Obviously a lot has happened since then, including changes in how we communicate updates to all of you. So this will be our last Google Friends Newsletter. We started the Official Google Blog in 2004 and joined Twitter in 2009, and we’ve seen dramatic growth on those channels. Meanwhile, the number of subscribers to this newsletter has remained flat, so we’ve concluded that this format is no longer the best way for us to get the word out about new Google products and
services.
The letter went on to tell you the best ways to get your Google news, which they recommend The Official Google Blog, Twitter and topical blogs.
The letter ends with “We hope you enjoy whichever channels you choose. You’re always a Google friend to us!”
Were you a subscriber? Did you know Google Friends existed?
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